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Mallard Fives Regroup for Second Half

BERLIN- With the first half of their seasons in the books, the jury is still out for the Worcester Prep boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams, but there has been reason for optimism thus far, particularly on the boys’ side.

With just three players returning from last year’s varsity team, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Worcester’s boys’ varsity team this year, but thus far, the Mallards have been holding their own against some of the better teams in the Eastern Shore Independent Athletic Conference (ESIAC). At the holiday break, the Mallards’ record stands at 4-3 following an unusual first portion of the season during which Worcester alternated between wins and losses.

The Mallards opened the season with a 46-30 win over Greenwood Mennonite, followed by a 37-33 loss to Salisbury School. Worcester then beat Salisbury Christian, 32-21, before falling to Holly Grove, 57-45. The pattern continued with a 31-27 win over Salisbury Christian, a 67-30 loss to Delmar and a 31-25 win over Greenwood Mennonite.

After the holiday break, the Mallards will hit the ground running with a road game against Delaware’s St. Thomas More on January 10, followed by another road game against Gunston on January 13. The Mallards do not play at home again until a rematch with Delmar scheduled for January 18.

Meanwhile, the first part of the season for the Worcester girls’ varsity team has included plenty of growing pains as expected. With just three returning players from last year’s team, including juniors Molly Marshall, Alex Bruder and Meredith Smith, along with a flock of young underclassmen, expectations were relatively low for the Mallards this year.

Thus far, it has proven true as Worcester is just 1-5 after the first part of the season, their only win coming with a narrow 26-25 win over Holly Grove. However, there is reason for optimism as the young team has shown signs of improvement heading into the second half of the season. The Mallards open the second half of the season with a pair of home games, including Broadwater on January 4 and Delmarva Christian on January 6.